If you’ve been using Google Search Console (GSC) for a while, you know how powerful it can be for SEO. 

You can check your site’s performance, spot crawling issues, and analyze which queries drive clicks and what not.

But there’s one feature that often flies under the radar — and it is Regular Expressions (Regex).

Whether you’re trying to find all branded queries, filter keywords with specific intent, Regex gives you WINGS inside GSC.

Let’s explore 10+ Regex use cases in Google Search Console, which you can start applying today.

What Is Regex and Why It Matters in SEO

Regex, short for Regular Expressions, is a way to describe patterns in text. 

You can match words, characters, or phrases based on rules — not just exact matches.

Think of it as “search on steroids.”

For example,

• If you type car in a normal search, you’ll only find results containing car.
• But with Regex, you can find car, cars, carrying, carpenter, or any word that starts with “car” — all in one go.

In SEO terms, Regex helps you group and filter data in ways that are impossible with simple “contains” or “equals” filters.

That’s where Regex comes in.

In Google Search Console, this is incredibly useful when you want to:

• Identify branded vs. non-branded keywords.
• Find long-tail queries that start or end with certain words.
• Group URL patterns under specific site sections.
• Filter out irrelevant data (like searches with your competitors’ names).

Where You Can Use Regex in Google Search Console

You can use Regex filters in the performance report:

Head to the Performance Report

• In the “Queries” tab (to filter search queries)
• In the “Pages” tab (to filter URLs)
• Also applicable to “Countries,” “Devices,” and “Search Appearance” sections.

To use it:

1. Go to Performance → Search results.
2. Click the filter icon (e.g., under Queries).
3. Select “Custom (regex)”.
4. Enter your Regex pattern and hit Apply.

That’s it. GSC will now show only the data that matches your Regex rule.

You might ask where the Regex is to hit apply? We are almost there. 

Basic Regex syntax you can play with 

Before diving into examples, here’s a simple cheat sheet for beginners:

Symbol	Meaning	Example	Matches
.	Any single character	c.r	car, cur, c3r
*	Zero or more of the preceding character	go*gle	ggle, google, gooogle
+	One or more of the preceding character	go+gle	google, gooogle
?	Optional character	color?	color, colr
`	`	OR operator	`apple
^	Begins with	^buy	buy shoes, buy now
$	Ends with	sale$	end of sale, winter sale
( )	Grouping	`(red	blue) shoes`
[ ]	Match any character inside brackets	[ch]at	cat, hat
.*	Any number of characters (wildcard)	seo.*tools	seo tools, seo keyword tools

You don’t need to memorize all of these.

Even a few basic ones can open up dozens of new ways to filter data inside GSC.

Practical Use Cases of Regex in Google Search Console

Let’s explore how SEOs, marketers, and content strategists can actually use Regex filters to get more value from GSC data.

---

1. Separate Branded vs. Non-Branded Queries

Most SEOs want to know how much organic traffic comes from brand-related searches and want to exclude non-branded queries at the same time.

If your brand name is “Adidas”, try this:

Regex pattern for branded queries:

(adidas|adidas\.com|adidass)

This will capture all possible variations and misspellings of your brand.

To view non-branded queries, just invert the filter by selecting “Doesn’t match regex.”

Example:

• buy running shoes online (non-branded)
• adidas running shoes (branded)

2. Find Question Queries – Perfect for Content Ideas

Want to see which questions your audience is asking?

Use this Regex pattern:

^(how|what|why|when|where|can|does|do|is|are)

It matches any query starting with question words.

Example Matches:

• how to clean white sneakers
• what are the best running shoes for flat feet
• does adidas offer free returns

You can use these queries to create FAQs, blog posts, or YouTube video content.

3. Identify Commercial or Transactional Intent

Looking for queries that suggest a buying mindset. Regex can help you find keywords like “buy,” “price,” or “deal.”

(buy|purchase|price|cost|deal|discount|offer|shop|order)

These queries are gold for conversion-focused pages or product content.

Example Matches:

• buy adidas ultraboost online
• adidas shoes price in india
• discount on adidas running shoes

These queries are ideal for product or category pages, since users searching for these terms are typically close to converting.

Example Matches:

• best shoes for marathon training
• how to wash adidas sneakers
• adidas running shoes for women

By identifying long-tail queries, you can create content that targets very specific user needs.

4. Find Long-Tail Queries (3+ Words)

You can find long tail keyword using this Regex:

^(\S+\s+){2,}\S+$

This matches any query containing three or more words. Long-tails often convert better and are easier to rank for.

Example Matches:

• adidas vs nike
• reebok vs adidas comfort
• puma better than adidas

You can use this data to understand brand comparisons and even create “versus” content that highlights your advantages.

5. Spot Queries with Your Competitors’ Names

If you’re doing competitive analysis or want to monitor branded comparisons:

(nike|puma|reebok)

It helps you see how often users are comparing you directly to others, e.g., “yourbrand vs competitor.”

Example Matches:

• adidas vs nike
• reebok vs adidas comfort
• puma better than adidas

You can use this data to understand brand comparisons and even create “versus” content that highlights your advantages.

6. Filter URLs by Folder or Category

If your website follows a clean URL structure, Regex can help isolate sections.

For example, to view only blog URLs:

^/blog/

To view product URLs under “/products/” or “/shop/”:

^/(products|shop)/

This helps you analyze performance per section — perfect for large sites with many categories.

Example Matches:

• /blog/how-to-choose-running-shoes/
• /products/ultraboost-24/
• /shop/mens-sneakers/

This helps you analyze the performance of different sections, such as which blog topics attract traffic or which product categories convert best.

---

7. Exclude Irrelevant or Internal Pages

Sometimes, your GSC data includes pages like login or policy pages that you don’t want to analyze.

You can exclude them with a “Doesn’t match regex” filter:

(privacy|terms|login|cart|checkout)

Now your performance report will focus only on relevant SEO-driven pages.

Example Matches (to exclude):

• /user/login
• /checkout/cart
• /privacy-policy/

After applying “Doesn’t match regex”, your reports will focus only on SEO-relevant URLs.

---

8. Analyze Country-Specific Pages

If your site uses country codes or subfolders, use Regex to filter them.

For example:

/us/|/uk/|/in/

Example Matches:

• /us/adidas-sneakers/
• /uk/ultraboost-sale/
• /in/running-shoes/

This is especially useful for global brands or multilingual sites to see how localized pages are performing in each market.

---

9. Detect Plural vs. Singular Queries

Want to know if users search for “shoe” or “shoes” more often?

Try:

shoe[s]?

Example Matches:

• shoe
• shoes

This helps identify how users search. For instance, whether to optimize for “running shoe” or “running shoes” in titles and meta descriptions.

---

10. Identify Seasonal Keywords

Regex can help you quickly filter for seasonal trends.

For example, if you sell products for different occasions:

(christmas|black\sfriday|diwali|valentine|summer|winter)

Example Matches:

• adidas christmas sale
• black friday shoe deals
• diwali offers on adidas sneakers

This insight helps you plan seasonal content, promotions, and landing pages in advance.

---

11. Analyze Brand Misspellings

People often spell brand names wrong. Regex helps you find and track these variations.

For example:

(adidash|adibas|adiidas)

Example Matches:

• adidash running shoes
• adibas originals sale
• adiidas vs nike

These insights can help you adjust Google Ads negative keywords, catch SEO opportunities, and understand how users actually search.

---

12. Identify Pages with Tracking Parameters

Sometimes, URLs contain parameters like ?utm_source or ?ref=, which clutter your reports.

You can filter them out with:

\?

or include only parameterized URLs if you’re debugging:

\?.*

Example Matches:

• /product-page?utm_source=instagram
• /shop/mens?ref=adcampaign

This helps clean your reports or debug campaign tracking issues.

---

13. Combine Multiple Intent Keywords

You can merge patterns to explore user intent at scale.

Example — find all “how to” or “best” type queries:

(how\s+to|best\s+)

Example Matches:

• how to clean running shoes
• best adidas sneakers for gym
• top running shoes 2025
• buy ultraboost online

This allows you to group informational (“how to”, “best”) and transactional (“buy”) intent keywords, helping you shape your content strategy more precisely.

Advanced Tips for Regex in GSC

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, here are a few pro tips to get even more out of it:

1. Start Simple

Even a small pattern like buy|price|discount can reveal new insights. Build complexity gradually.

2. Test Your Regex

Use tools like regex101.com to test your expressions before applying them in GSC. It shows exactly what matches (and what doesn’t).

3. Use “Doesn’t Match” Strategically

Negating patterns can sometimes give cleaner data than positive matches. For instance, filtering out branded queries often gives a better sense of organic visibility.

4. Document Your Patterns

Keep a small spreadsheet of your favorite Regex filters and what they do. It saves tons of time later.

5. Combine Filters

In GSC, you can stack multiple filters — for example:

• Regex for query intent
• Regex for specific URL folder
  This lets you analyze keyword intent by page type.

Conclusion: Regex Is the Secret Weapon for Smart SEOs

Regex might sound technical at first, but once you try it inside Google Search Console, it becomes addictive.

It’s not just a filtering tool — it’s a data analysis superpower that helps you understand how users search, how your content performs, and where new opportunities lie.

If you’ve been relying only on GSC’s “contains” or “equals” filters, now’s the time to level up.

Start small. Maybe separating branded vs. non-branded queries and build your way up to more advanced filters.

So next time you open GSC, click that “Custom (regex)” option and unlock a deeper layer of the RegEx use case.

---